Five Rising Fashion Stars from Seoul

South Korea’s reputation as an Asian style hub is nothing new to fashion cognoscenti, but until recently Seoul was better known on a global scale as an exporter of K-pop. Here, five new must-know designers.

The designing couple Hyeok-Seo Jeong and Seung-Yeon Pae studied at London’s Central Saint Martins before launching their collection, which has been an underground favorite for years. They just opened a big store in Seoul’s Sinsa-dong district, where fans can now purchase their “Naughty but Attractive” collection, which includes girly gingham, short short and crop top combos, plus jeans that go with just about everything.

American-born Kathleen Kye, who got her design start styling K-pop bands, is one of the biggest stars of the Seoul scene. This season, she was inspired by ‘mean girls,’ which comes through visually in a twisting snake print, lots of geometric Lurex knits and distressed sequin warm-ups.

Bohyun “Bonnie” Lee launched her collection with a shoe and sneaker label, and has since expanded into a line of androgynous sweatshirts and trainers that are beloved by K-pop hip-hop stars Tiger JK and Yoon Mirae.